Standard Lemma guide

besmirch

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/
  • General-American: /bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make dirty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literary, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soil, sully, tarnish, assoil, beclart, bedaub, bedirty, imbrue (especially with blood), bedizen, befile, befilth, befoul, begrime, beray, beshit, besmear, besmirch, besully, bewray, blacken, blot, blur, clat, contaminate, darken, defile, dirten, dirty, elt, file, foil, foul, gunk, gunk up, inquinate, scunge, sling mud, slotter, slur, smear, smirch, smudge, smut, smutch, soss, sowl, spot, stain, sullow, uggle

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To tarnish something, especially someone's reputation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The newspaper was on a campaign to besmirch the actor.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blacken, debase, libel, smear, slander, assassinate, asperse, backbite, badmouth, befoul, belibel, besmirch, besmear, bewray, blame, blaze, blemish, blot, blur, calumniate, calumny, chat shit, chat shite, cloud, defame, demonize, denigrate, deprave, depreciate, detract, dirty, discredit, disgrace, disparage, disrepute, diss, drag through the mud, forgab, forspeak, foul, infamize, lampoon, malign, monsterize, muddy, reproach, revile, scandal, shit-talk, slag, smirch, spatter, spot, speak ill of, stab, stain, sully, talk shit, talk shite, talk trash, tarnish, torch, traduce, trash-talk, unflatter, vilify, vilipend, villainize, wrong

Antonyms: unbesmirch

3

verb

Meaning 3

charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The journalists have defamed me!
  • The article in the paper sullied my reputation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: defame, slander, smirch, asperse, denigrate, calumniate, smear, sully

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: charge, accuse

Narrower terms: assassinate, libel, badmouth, malign, traduce, drag through the mud

4

verb

Meaning 4

smear so as to make dirty or stained

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: smirch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: smear

History

Etymology

From Middle English besmorchen (attested in besmorchid). Compare Middle English bismotered (“bespattered, soiled”). By surface analysis, be- + smirch.

Across languages

Translations

69 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: мърся (mǎrsja) — make dirty
  • Bulgarian: омърсявам (omǎrsjavam) — make dirty
  • Catalan: embrutar — make dirty
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弄髒 /弄脏 (nòngzāng) — make dirty
  • Dutch: besmeuren — make dirty
  • Finnish: liata — make dirty
  • French: salir — make dirty
  • Galician: ensuciar — make dirty
  • German: beschmutzen — make dirty
  • German: beschmieren — make dirty
  • Greek: λερώνω (leróno) — make dirty
  • Hungarian: bemocskol — make dirty
  • Italian: sporcare — make dirty
  • Italian: insudiciare — make dirty
  • Italian: lordare — make dirty
  • Italian: insozzare — make dirty
  • Italian: smerdare — make dirty
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tilskitne — make dirty
  • Portuguese: sujar — make dirty
  • Romanian: spurca — make dirty
  • Russian: па́чкать (páčkatʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: испа́чкать (ispáčkatʹ) — make dirty
  • Russian: загрязня́ть (zagrjaznjátʹ) — make dirty
  • Slovak: špiniť — make dirty
  • Slovak: pošpiniť — make dirty
  • Ukrainian: бруднити (brudnyty) — make dirty
  • Ukrainian: замазувати (zamazuvaty) — make dirty
  • Bulgarian: петня (petnja) — tarnish; debase
  • Bulgarian: черня (černja) — tarnish; debase
  • Chinese Mandarin: 浼污 (měiwū) — tarnish; debase
  • Chinese Mandarin: 污漫 (wūmàn) — tarnish; debase
  • Dutch: bekladden — tarnish; debase
  • Dutch: bezoedelen — tarnish; debase
  • Finnish: liata — tarnish; debase
  • French: salir — tarnish; debase
  • French: avilir — tarnish; debase
  • Galician: difamar — tarnish; debase
  • German: beschmutzen — tarnish; debase
  • German: besudeln — tarnish; debase
  • German: in Verruf bringen — tarnish; debase
  • Greek: σπιλώνω (spilóno) — tarnish; debase
  • Ancient Greek: προσπηλακίζω (prospēlakízō) — tarnish; debase
  • Hungarian: gyaláz — tarnish; debase
  • Italian: denigrare — tarnish; debase
  • Italian: macchiare — tarnish; debase
  • Italian: insudiciare — tarnish; debase
  • Italian: lordare — tarnish; debase
  • Norwegian Bokmål: besudle — tarnish; debase
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tilskitne — tarnish; debase
  • Portuguese: conspurcar — tarnish; debase
  • Portuguese: macular — tarnish; debase
  • Portuguese: deslustrar — tarnish; debase
  • Romanian: spurca — tarnish; debase
  • Russian: пятна́ть (pjatnátʹ) — tarnish; debase
  • Russian: запятна́ть (zapjatnátʹ) — tarnish; debase
  • Russian: черни́ть (černítʹ) — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: očierniť — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: očierňovať — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: pošpiniť — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: špiniť — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: znevážiť — tarnish; debase
  • Slovak: znevažovať — tarnish; debase
  • Swedish: befläcka — tarnish; debase
  • Thai: ป้ายสี (bpâai-sǐi) — tarnish; debase
  • Ottoman Turkish: چامورلامق (çamurlamak) — tarnish; debase
  • Ukrainian: чорни́ти (čornýty) — tarnish; debase
  • Ukrainian: ганьби́ти (hanʹbýty) — tarnish; debase
  • Ukrainian: плямува́ти (pljamuváty) — tarnish; debase
  • Ukrainian: зневажа́ти (znevažáty) — tarnish; debase